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Penn State Dairy Science Club Members Shine at ADSA Meetings

Posted: August 12, 2009

Our students excelled in a variety of areas, including earning first place overall in the Outstanding Chapter competition for the third consecutive year.

Twelve members of the Penn State Dairy Science Club attended the American
Dairy Science Association-American Society of Animal Science annual meetings in
Montreal, Quebec in July. The convention attracted students and professional
members from the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and elsewhere.

Students excelled in a variety of areas, including earning first place
overall in the Outstanding Chapter competition for the third consecutive year.
Virginia Tech placed second and Iowa State University placed third. Penn State
was victorious in the quiz bowl competition for the seventh time in nine years,
with team members Elizabeth Cloninger, Centre Hall; Janelle Hartzell, Slippery
Rock; Elizabeth Smith, Lebanon; and Turner Swartz, Port Royal. They defeated a
team from Cal Poly in the finals.

In the undergraduate presentation contests, Nathan Heim, Harrisburg, earned
second place in the Dairy Production division with his talk, "Blood Pregnancy
Tests as Alternatives to Trans-rectal Examinations." Ashley Harshbarger,
Millerstown, placed third in the Dairy Foods division with her presentation,
"Risks Associated with Raw Milk Consumption." In the original research category,
Janelle Hartzell presented her project, "The Economic Impact of Soybean Meal
Products on Milk Production and Components of Holstein Cows."

In other Penn State results, the club's electronic version of the Dairyman
yearbook, edited by Jessica Rose, Lebanon, and Janelle Hartzell, earned first
place in the digital yearbook competition, and the paper version earned second
place in the yearbook category. The Penn State Dairy Science Club website
(www.clubs.psu.edu/up/dairyscienceclub) coordinated by Dustin Brown, Tyrone,
placed first and the club scrapbook assembled by Elizabeth Cloninger was also
awarded first place. Also placing first was the club display which is set up to
draw prospective members at various club events.

During the Student Affiliate Division meetings, the students participated in
a dairy quiz bowl between various collegiate dairy clubs, business meetings, a
career symposium, and an awards banquet. Students also attended symposia, oral
sessions and poster sessions presented by professional members of the
organizations. They toured two Canadian dairy farms, where they learned about
Canada's supply management system for milk and other agricultural
commodities.

The students attended the meetings as members of the American Dairy Science
Association Student Affiliate Division (ADSA-SAD). The ADSA-SAD is a division of
the parent organization that works to develop leadership and promote scholarship
among students interested in the dairy industry, and to encourage students
toward careers in dairy science. There are more than 400 undergraduate student
members in ADSA.

ADSA was established in 1906 as a scientific and educational association to
serve the dairy and dairy-related industries. It facilitates the discovery,
application and dissemination of dairy science knowledge and information.